1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of personal aids and is specifically concerned with improvements in an apparatus for the physical removal of objects located on the lower extremities of the body.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The present invention involves the concept of enabling a person to remove objects from his/her body such as socks, closely or tightly fitting leg supports and other items. Unfortunately, many people have difficulty with simple tasks taken for granted, such as removing a sock from their foot. Typically, people who have difficulty taking off their socks generally have trouble bending, are incapable of bending, or lack the strength to remove items from their body, which usually results from physical issues, such as arthritis, paralysis, pregnancy, back and neck problems, weight problems, diabetes, obesity and other health, age and infirmity problems. In addition, people with the above problems often wear leg and foot coverings, including heavy support socks to protect their ankles and to protect their lower legs so that the symptoms of edema or DVT (deep vein thrombosis) will not occur. so that water will not accumulate in their legs. It is also very difficult to remove those types of protective socks or supports. Performance of this task by the physically impaired requires the assistance of another person who may not always be available. The present invention is a unique apparatus which provides additional assistance to facilitate easy removal of an item, such as a sock.
A wide variety of adaptive devices have been devised for the physically impaired. However, in many instances they are useful only under limited conditions.
The following 19 patents and published patent applications are the closest prior art references which are known to the inventors.                1. U.S. Pat. No. 881,163 issued to Gustav Spiess on Mar. 10, 1908 for “Device For Putting On And Taking Off Hose” (hereafter the “Spiess Patent”);        2. U.S. Pat. No. 1,861,385 issued to Ignaz Josef Gentil on May 31, 1932 for “Device For Facilitating The Putting On And Taking Off Of Stockings” (hereafter the “Gentil Patent”);        3. U.S. Pat. No. 3,396,882 issued to Abe Berlin on Aug. 13, 1968 for “Hosiery-Removal Device” (hereafter the “Berlin Patent”);        4. U.S. Pat. No. 3,853,252 issued to Giuseppe M. Scianimanico on Dec. 10, 1974 for “Orthopedic Device” (hereafter the “Scianimanico Patent”);        5. U.S. Pat. No. 3,860,156 issued to Frederick R. Lawrence on Jan. 14, 1974 for “Dressing Aid” (hereafter the “Lawrence Patent”);        6. U.S. Pat. No. 4,238,061 issued to Luigi Marchetti et al. and assigned to I. B. Internazionale Brevetti on Dec. 9, 1980 for “Socks Or Stockings Wear-Helping Utensil” (hereafter the “Marchetti Patent”);        7. U.S. Des. Pat. No. Des. 259,299 issued to Richard Vreeken on May 26, 1981 for “Stocking Removing Tool For the Handicapped Or Similar Article” (hereafter the “Vreeken Design Patent”);        8. U.S. Pat. No. 4,620,737 issued to Sampson D. Sanger and assigned to Sanger-Nelken Enterprises on Nov. 4, 1986 for “Manually Operable Personal Convenience Implement” (hereafter the “'737 Sanger Patent”);        9. U.S. Pat. No. 4,638,932 issued to Henry C. Keller on Jan. 27, 1987 for “Combination Tool To Pull Up And Remove Socks, Shorts And Trousers” (hereafter the “Keller Patent”);        10. U.S. Pat. No. 4,943,097 issued to Sampson D. Sanger and assigned to Yehuda Naim on Jul. 24, 1990 for “Manually Operable Personal Convenience Implement” (hereafter the “'097 Sanger Patent”);        11. U.S. Design Pat. No. Des. 321,427 issued to Ford Barrick on Nov. 12, 1991 for “Tool For Donning And Removal Of Hosiery” (hereafter the “Barrick Design Patent”);        12. U.S. Pat. No. 5,687,889 issued to Douglas T. Liden on Nov. 18, 1997 for “Multi-Purpose Reacher And Dressing Aid” (hereafter the “Liden Patent”);        13. U.S. Pat. No. 5,924,610 issued to Ignance Willemin on Jul. 20, 1999 for “Device To Facilitate Putting On Socks And Similar Articles Of Clothing” (hereafter the “Willemin Patent”);        14. U.S. Published patent application No. 2004/069820 issued to Marko J G Van Loef on Apr. 15, 2004 for “Device And Method For Taking Off A Therapeutic Elastic Sock” (hereafter the “Van Loef Published Patent Application”);        15. U.S. Pat. No. 6,763,982 issued to George Livornese on Jul. 20, 2004 for “Hosiery Removal And Retrieval Tool With A Notch For Shoe Removal And A Shoehorn” (hereafter the “Livornese Patent”);        16. U.S. Published patent application No. 2005/0115994 issued to Michel Delamare on Jun. 2, 2005 for “Device For Putting On And Taking Off A Support Stocking” (hereafter the “Delamare Published Patent Application”);        17. U.S. Pat. No. 6,932,252 issued to Henry E. Simmons on Aug. 23, 2005 for “Device To Allow Physically Limited Persons To Put On Or Remove Socks” (hereafter the “Simmons Patent”);        18. U.S. Pat. No. 6,942,129 issued to Michael P. Ferraioli on Sep. 13, 2005 for “Footwear Donning Device” (hereafter the “Ferraioli Patent”);        19. United Kingdom Patent No. GB 2,338,172 issued to James Charles Skidmore on Dec. 15, 1999 for “Sock Fitting And Removal Appliance” (hereafter the “Skidmore United Kingdom Patent”).        
The Spiess Patent which issued in 1908 is a device for putting on and taking off hose. To take off the hose. the top of the hose is engaged with the horn c and the adjoining end b of the bow a and the hose therefore, becomes folded up which is then pushed downward on a leg as shown in FIG. 5.
Referring to the Spiess Patent, the preferred embodiment of the device for putting on and taking off hose shown in FIG. 1 appears to show that its primary purpose is the putting on of hose and the removal of hose as a secondary function. To remove hose, one must turn the device around, with the arms of the bow facing away from the body, and pressing the backside of the bow against the flesh of the leg and push downwardly making sure that the horn is outside the hose to catch it as it is being pushed down. It is only by the pressure of the back of the bow against the leg that the Spiess Patent is able to remove the hose. If a patient has sensitive skin, thin skin or easily bruises, the patient will experience pain and discomfort in the removal of anything but loosely fitting articles. Additionally, there is no means to get the hose off from around the heel of the foot. Moreover, the Spiess Patent does not have a hook curving downwardly to aid in the removal of articles, but instead has a horn, pointing upwardly so as to catch and roll up the hose as it is being removed. The Spiess device is incapable of removing items like a tightly fitting sock, a support hose, or a shoe, because the Spiess Patent merely pushes down on an article that must be loosely fitted.
The Gentil Patent which issued in 1932 is another device for facilitating the putting on and taking off socks. The device as illustrated in FIG. 1 consists of an angle shaped bar which is made out of a single piece of material and has a longer limb a and a shorter limb b. The longer limb a consists of a slightly curved part adopted to follow the shape of the sole of the foot and the shorter limb b as a hollowed out part adapted to fit the heel of the foot so that it can be exerted a short distance around each side of the heel of the foot. The Gentil Patent operates by placing the device between the foot and the sock so that the device facilitates putting on and taking off a sock by sliding over the smooth surface of the Gentil device rather than the sole of the foot.
Referring to the Gentil Patent, the preferred embodiment of the device for facilitating the putting on and taking off of stockings shown in FIG. 2 and discussed in lines 75+ of the Gentil Patent, teaches that each device, which fits under the sole of the foot and over the heel, must be placed on the foot before the hose is put on and the sock is, in fact, placed over both the foot and the device. The Gentil Patent further teaches that removal of the device is through the open area at the heel of the sock. To remove the device, the user must bend and contort his leg and body and manipulate the sock so as to remove the device through the heel. To remove the sock, the Gentil device slides under the sole of the foot through the open heel of the sock until the back rests against the user's heel, thereafter, the user bends over and removes the sock. It appears that the Gentil device can only work with articles having no heel, so that the device can be removed after putting the sock on and inserted to take the sock off. It appears that the Gentil device is incapable of properly functioning with any article that has an intact heel. Further, the user of the Gentil device must still bend and contort the user's body to remove the sock. The Gentil device specifically teaches that it aids only to reduce the dragging and pulling required to put on and take off a compression stocking having no heel.
The Berlin Patent which issued in 1968 consists of a hosiery removal device which includes an elongated portion 11 and a handle 12 which terminates in a generally u-shaped plate. The device functions by pushing the generally u-shaped plate against the sock so that the sock will be removed as illustrated in FIG. 3. The plate device is also slightly rounded as shown in FIG. 2 so that it conforms to the back portion of the ankle area and sole of the foot.
Referring to the Berlin Patent, the hosiery removal devices, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, appear to show a slender rod, having at one end a handle that is also slender and rod-like and at the other end two metal plates, roughly parallel to each other and is either formed from one piece of metal bent into a u-shape or is two pieces of metal either attached to a third piece of metal transverse to the first two. While the device has the concept of having a member to push downwardly on the upper portion of the sock, it is clearly an awkward and difficult device because the nature of the device is based on a shaft 11, which is a rod at the end of which a force is applied, having a vector extending down the rod to a coupling centered on the tip of the rod. If the hosiery is loosely fitting, removal of the article should not be too difficult, however, if the article is more closely fitting, like support hose, and resists removal, the opposing forces of the support hose at one end of the rod and the downward pressure of force on the handle at the other end of the rod, will cause the rod to torque. The user will be required to exert a lot of force to both overcome the torque action of the shaft and to effectuate removal of the article. Thus, it is difficult for a user of the Berlin Patent to remove the any article that is closely fitting.
The Scianimanico Patent is an orthopedic device which is designed to enable a person to put a sock on. As shown in FIG. 1, there is a lip member which is inserted into the sock and, as shown in FIG. 2, there is a member by which the sock is surrounded so the sock can be pulled onto the person's foot and presumably removed in the same way in the reverse order.
Referring to the Scianimanico Patent, the orthopedic device, as shown in FIG. 1 appears to show that the device requires two hands to operate the device. A set of parallel rods 34 extend from the device in such a manner as to be on either side of the leg. Use of the device with one hand is impossible. It also appears that these rods do not have any support or stabilizing cross bars or brackets. The lack of reinforcement or bracing between the two bars causes these rods float and move independently of each other. Additionally, because these rods are the handles and means by which the device is operated, the device is unstable. It further appears that the u-shaped slide member 12 is fitted to cup the calf of the user and to further nearly wrap the entire leg, as shown in FIG. 3, where the u-shaped member 12 follows a curve approximately 270 degrees as round shaped walls 20 and 22 are followed from edge 24 to edge 25. This device has a limited use for persons whose legs fit within the diameter of the u-shaped member 12. Larger persons, as ⅔ of Americans are, will not be able to utilize this device. Further, to remove the sock, as shown in FIG. 5, the device only provides a lip 30. It appears that the device requires the user to slip the lip 30 between the leg and the sock and push downwardly on the device. As there is no hook or other means to push down on the top of the sock, the user must continue pushing downwardly until the lip 30 catches on the sock, presumably somewhere near the heel, sole or even toe of the sock and to keep pushing until the sock is removed. The user must bend or stoop to extend the device so that the upper portion of the sock can extend past the toes of the foot and thus be fully removed. The longer the sock, the more the user must bend and extend. The device does have a rounded connecting portion 32 that has a contour which extends slightly outward as it closely follows the contour of the outer surface of the slide member 12. However, it is not designed to catch the top of a sock, nor could it have any effect on helping to push down on a tightly fitting support hose or compression sock.
The Lawrence Patent which issued in 1975 is for a dressing aid. It is a multiple tool device for putting on stockings, putting on shoes and taking off socks. Referring to FIG. 3, at a remote or proximal end 14.3 the elongated support 14 is provided with a shoe horn 22, the distally extending end 22.1 of which is cemented into the recessed end 14.3 of the support 14. The proximally extending shoe horn 22 is provided with a customary concave shape for easing one's heel into a shoe. Arising from the convex surface 22.2 of the shoe horn is a generally hook shaped sock remover 24 having approximately hook portion 24.1 and approximately extending end 24.2 having flared edges and an outward concave surface configured to bear against one's lower calf and the heel for removal of the stocking.
Referring to the Lawrence Patent, the preferred embodiment of the dressing aid shown in FIG. 9, appears to show that the device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is to be used in pairs and adjoined by transverse brackets 32 and 34 which are held in place by a combination of thumb screws and friction. The Lawrence Patent is a cumbersome device, comprised of a multiplicity of parts. To remove a sock, users of the Lawrence Patent are required to disassemble the device, keeping track of all the loose parts, both the cumbersome and the tiny, flip the elongated supports, turn the support so that the side with all the protrusions are facing the leg, push these against the side of the leg while trying to catch the top of the sock with the hook, and, finally, push downwardly to remove the sock. Further, to put the sock back on, requires the reassembly of all the parts. For users who have other associated ailments, such as physical weakness and arthritis, this device is inconvenient and very strenuous to operate.
The Marchetti Patent which issued in 1980 is a socks or stocking wear-helping utensil. It has a rod with a handle 7 which can be held in either hand and the innovation as best shown in FIG. 2 is to have the shell portion 6 surrounding a sock so the device can be used to pull the sock on or push the sock off.
Referring to the Marchetti Patent, the preferred embodiment of the sock wear-helping utensil, as illustrated in FIG. 1, appears to show the device is a rod with a goose neck handle at the proximal end and the rod is bent at the distal end which is used as a pivot for the rotatable shell 5 portion of the device on which the hosiery is situated for placement on the foot and leg. The Marchetti Patent asserts that sock removal is effected by turning the device upside down, and pushing against the sock with the gooseneck portion of the handle. (Col. 1, lines 62-68). In practice, this means that when utilizing the Marchetti Patent to remove a sock, the user, who has turned the utensil upside down, must now contend with the swinging of the rotatable shell as it pivots freely. Users of this device are typically already impaired in some manner and the swinging pivot of the Marchetti Patent further impairs the ability to remove hosiery from their legs. The Marchetti Patent, being primarily designed for the putting on of hosiery, while capable of hosiery removal, simply is not practical for hosiery removal.
The Vreeken Patent is a design patent which protects the shape or the ornamental beauty of an object. It is described as a stocking removing tool for the handicapped or similar article. It does not disclose how the invention works. It appears to have a member that is inserted into the sock and pushed down at the adjacent end so that the back of the sock can be pushed off. However, again, the removal portion is at the extremity of the rod, rather than in the middle where it is more easy to engage and operate the device, and hence the user will experience the difficulties that accompany the torquation of the rod, as discussed above. Additionally, it appears that because the removal portion is at the extreme end of the device, the removal process must immediately proceed as there is no preliminary engagement means or other means to position the device before removal commences. It further appears from the design that there is no hook member used to engage the top portion of the hosiery, but instead a flat transverse member that due to its lack of curvation is inefficient in sock removal.
The '737 Sanger Patent which issued in 1986 is for a manually operated personal convenience implement. Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, in order to use this device to remove the sock, the tip 47 of the wedge 24 is inserted between the sock and the leg of the wearer. The wedge 24 may be pointed either way from the leg or towards the leg. The free ends of the arms 20 to 21 are preferably joined at this time. The implement is then pushed downwardly along the rear of the leg and foot removing the sock. The radially outward flag portion 50 on the wedge 24 is useful to prevent the sock from riding over and past the wedge 24.
Referring to the Sanger Patent, the preferred embodiment of the manually operable personal convenience implement is a multi-functional device, much like a swiss army knife. Among its multiple functions, the Sanger Patent claims that it is capable of putting on and “removing shoes, stockings, hose, pantyhose, underwear and trousers as well as grasp small articles such as telephone receivers, light switches and chains, drinking and eating utensils, small jars, boxes, cartons, bags and dispensing tubes, jewelry and other personal items, even to scratch the back.” (Col. 2, lines 1-6). The specific process to remove a sock is described as utilizing the tip 47 at the end of the wedge 24 to push the sock down. It does not matter which way the wedge 24 is oriented during this process, as only the tip 47 is engaged with the sock. The Sanger Patent does not have any hook member to engage the top of the sock, but suggests that “the radially-outwardly flared portion 50 on the wedge 24 is useful to prevent the sock from riding over and past the wedge 24.” As there is no hook or other means to push down on the top of the sock, the user must first press the tip 24 against his leg and keeping constant pressure, continue pushing downwardly until the tip 24 catches on the sock, presumably somewhere near the heel, sole or even toe of the sock and to keep pushing until the sock is removed. If the user utilizes the Sanger Patent with the wedge facing the leg, then the user must deal with the strong likelihood that sides of the wedge are rubbing against the leg as well. Further, with the wedge in this position, the sock, particularly if it is tightly fitting, will simply run over the edge of the wedge and not be easily or efficiently removed and stretched out of shape. If the user utilizes the Sanger Patent with the wedge facing away from the leg, then the tip must be pressed against the leg the entire length down, causing pain, scratching and bruising. With no hook member, a stiff stocking will overcome the outwardly flared edge of the wedge, causing extreme pressure on the leg of the user and excessive stretching of the sock. It is only by the pressure of the tip of the wedge against the leg of the user that the Sanger Patent is able to remove the hose. If the user has sensitive skin, thin skin, or easily bruises, the user will experience pain and discomfort in the removal of anything but loosely fitting articles. Additionally, the user must bend or stoop to extend the device so that the upper portion of the sock can extend past the toes of the foot and thus be fully removed. The longer the sock, the more the user must bend and extend. The device does have an outwardly-flared portion around the rim of the wedge, but it is not designed to catch the top of a sock, nor could it have any effect on helping to push down on a tightly fitting support hose or compression sock. The Sanger Patent also does not provide any means to remove the hose from around the heel of the foot. Moreover, the Sanger Patent does not have a hook curving downwardly to aid in the removal of articles or to catch or roll the sock. It is apparent that the Sanger Patent is incapable of removing items such as a tightly fitting sock, a support hose, or a shoe, because it merely pushes down, which can only work on articles that are loosely fitted.
The Keller Patent which issued in 1987 is a combination tool to pull up and remove socks, shorts and trousers. As shown in FIG. 5, the intention is to use two of these devices as an extension of each hand to grasp either end of the sock with the tools and either pull it up or push it off the foot. It appears that the Keller Patent requires two hands and further that the hosiery to be removed be loosely fitting, as a pair of the Keller devices would encounter difficulty, if not impossibility, of removing tightly fitting articles. To do so, the Keller Patent requires the use of two hands and those two hands must be able to grasp and must further have the strength to make the gripping pads, which are located on average 20 inches from the handle, (col 4, lines 33-36), slide the operating member 28 down, and then exert enough force to be able to remove, by this extended gripping means only, a tightly fitting sock, like a rubber support hose, that is often quite difficult to remove even when attempted directly with the hands. Most persons who require assistance donning or removing hosiery don't have the strength that is required or the dexterity. It is apparent that it is not easy to remove articles that are loosely fitting or tightly fitting
The '097 Sanger Patent is a variation on the previously discussed Sanger Patent which again operates in a similar fashion to remove the sock. Again, the only means to remove a sock is by pressing a small pointy portion of the Sanger Patent against the leg and scraping downwardly against the leg to remove the sock. For the same reasons discussed above, this Sanger Patent is also incapable of removing items like a tightly fitting sock, a support hose, or a shoe, because it merely pushes down, which can only work on articles that are loosely fitted.
The Barrick Patent is a design patent described as a tool for donning and removal of hosiery. It appears to have a generally cylindrical interior section with an end which presumably wraps around the sock to push it off and also to pull it on. While it is unclear as to how this device works, presumably sock removal is effectuated by means of the flange that extends from the right hand side of the design, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 5 and 6. It is apparent that, with regard to sock removal, this device will have the same issues and problems as the two Sanger Patents and that this device is capable of injuring the user and incapable of removing tightly fitting articles.
The Liden Patent which issued in 1997 is a multi-purpose reacher and dressing aid. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, the device has an end portion around which a sock is wrapped and then is pulled onto the foot as shown. To remove a sock, the device is flipped upside down and the reacher arm 6 is inserted between the sock and the leg, the trigger 5 is pulled to grab the sock and the sock is pulled off the foot. It is a cumbersome device, with many parts and is awkward to use. FIGS. 11 through 13 illustrate that a user must still contend with everything at the opposite end from the reacher arm.
The Willemin Patent which issued in 1997 is a device to facilitate putting on socks and similar articles. It has an assembly circular section, which is best shown in FIG. 4, and is used to retain a sock and pull it on. It also has a hook member on the bottom shown in FIG. 1 as item 23 to be used to push the sock off. The Willemin Patent requires that the hook member be very shallow. It further requires that the removal process rely mostly on a frictional force between the device and the leg. Further, referring to FIG. 2, due to the scissor-like nature of the design of the Willemin Patent, the hook member for removing socks is on arm 2 and is operated from handle 20. This means that the user must somehow manage to control arm 1 with one hand, with two hands, or let arm 1 swing freely while trying to remove a sock. Further, the hook member is at the extremity of a rod. As discussed previously, this will have a torquing effect on the device. It is apparent that this is a cumbersome and awkward device to use to remove a sock that is also not capable of removing tightly fitting hosiery.
The Van Loef Patent is a published application, which was published in 2004. It is a device and method for taking off therapeutic elastic socks. As discussed in paragraph 5, the objective of the invention is to provide a device for taking off a therapeutic elastic sock. For this purpose, the device according to the invention is characterized in that the strip is at least partially flexible in at least the strip's longitudinal direction. The strip of the device is slid downwards at the back of the leg between the leg and the sock until the strip's end comes into the sock's heel. In order to make this possible, the device's strip should be narrow. The device is then pushed forcefully further downwards. By doing this, the sock is taken with it by the strip's free end, as will be elucidated later by means of the figures. Because the strip is flexible in the longitudinal direction, it bends round the heel of the person wearing the sock while pushing the sock off. As shown in the picture the device is pushed into the back of the sock and used to push the sock off as best shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. In a variation shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 there is a semi-circular guide profile that helps guide the device through the sock. It is apparent that there is no means to engage the top of the sock, so a user must rely on the end of the flexible device to remove the sock by pushing it off from somewhere between the heel and the toe, thus deforming and damaging the sock.
The Livornese Patent which issued in 2004 is a hosiery removal and retrieval tool. FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of the hosiery removal and retrieval tool 10. The tool 10 is a substantially cylindrical elongated shank having a first end 12A and a second end 12B. The first end 12A terminates in a rounded portion 14 having a notch 14N and also having a substantially cylindrical prong 16 which extends from the shank 12 in proximity to the rounded portion 14 at substantially a 45 degree angle. The notch 14N is used to push a shoe off the foot of a user. The prong 16 is used for pushing socks or stockings off the foot of the user. The user of Livornese Patent experiences all the physical pain and all the awkwardness and difficulty of removing a sock from prong at the end of a rod as discussed in the similar devices in the prior art. It is apparent that Livornese Patent is not properly designed for removal of tightly fitting hosiery.
The Delamare Published Application is a published application which was published in 2005. As shown in FIGS. 1 through 4, it is a complicated device, with a multiplicity of parts, requiring two hands and, once again, removal of a sock is effectuated by means of a rounded tip at the extremity that is pushed into the back of the sock and used to push the sock off. For reasons stated above for devices which remove socks in a similar method, it is apparent that this device is impracticable for tightly fitting hosiery, or for users who have hand-related ailments.
The Simmons Patent, which issued in 2005, is a device to allow physically limited persons to put on or remove socks. It is a device that has two handles and a trough-like member which can be inserted between the foot and the sock to help put the sock on. However, sock removal is accomplished by means of turning this two handled device upside down, engaging the notch in one of the two pivotal handles with the top of article to be removed, and pushing downwardly, while allowing the u-shaped sock caddy and the other pivoting handle to dangle.
The Ferraioli Patent is a footwear donning device which has a rounded member at its tip, which, as seen in FIGS. 7 through 10, is inserted into the sock to help pull the sock up and as shown in FIGS. 4, 15 through 17 to push the sock off. The means to remove a sock is a notch at the end of a rod, which is only effective in removing loosely fitting articles. A tightly fitting hose would present difficulties similar to those discussed above.
The Great Britain Patent Application, published in 1988, is a sock fitting and removal appliance, having a sock removal device 7, comprising a handle with a shaped tongue at one end with a finger 8 which engages the top of the socks. The finger of this device is such that it is a cut portion of the tongue which protrudes outwardly from the side of the tongue. When the finger engages a sock, the upper portion of the sock is likely to snag or be cut through repeated usage or a single use of the device. Additionally, the finger is of a very narrow width and at the end of a rod, which will present the torquing issues when engaging a tightly fitting article.
All of these prior art devices include means to don an article by some means to spread the opening of the hosiery apart, most having clamps or u-shaped frames to spread the sock opening apart, and a few relying on the frictional force of the spread apart frame to hold the sock as it is pulled on. Connecting the clamps and fastening devices of such prior art devices to opposite sides of a hosiery opening can be a time consuming and awkward task, particularly for the infirm. The same is true for those prior art devices which require spreading the force to two hands or splitting the device. Many of the prior art devices also require some dexterity to manipulate the complicated assembly of levers, handles and paired devices; a dexterity that the infirm, arthritic, and handicapped may not have. While much thought has been given to the donning of hosiery, it is apparent that very little thought has been given to its removal.